


Kiss Me On The Mouth (And Set Me Free)

by thesoundofnat



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: First Kiss, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 05:38:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12426120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesoundofnat/pseuds/thesoundofnat
Summary: He hadn’t meant to fall in love. Had still been mourning a lost life and a lost potential love. It wasn’t easy moving on from something you had only the previous day, in your brain. Steve was a prime example of that.





	Kiss Me On The Mouth (And Set Me Free)

Steve was- well, he was a lot of things. An old fashioned icon for freedom and a possibly unhealthy amount of patriotism. A man out of time. A successful science project. But he was also uncertain, lost, terrified. A man doing his best in a situation he’d never asked to be put into. He was a man waking up in the middle of the night soaking wet after a nightmare thinking for a moment he was in a beat apartment in Brooklyn when in fact he was in the luxurious halls of the Avengers Tower. Halls he didn’t deserve to be in. He was a mess.

And hopelessly in love with Tony Stark.

Case in point.

He hadn’t meant to fall in love. Had still been mourning a lost life and a lost potential love. It wasn’t easy moving on from something you had only the previous day, in your brain. Steve was a prime example of that.

But one day he eventually did, or at least enough to find other, more current things to hold onto instead. Maybe it wasn’t fair, but Steve had no choice. It was too painful clinging onto the past when he knew damn well he’ll never fully have it in his hands again.

But he wasn’t sure just  _when_ he fell for Tony. It just hit him one day when he was observing the way his friend was laughing at something with Rhodey, all teeth and squinty eyes and a rare mirth radiating from him. That was when Steve realized he’d been observing him for a while, and for no reason other than that he wanted to see everything.

That was when he knew he had it bad.

It was Saturday and the Tower was emptier than it probably had since it’d been built. Steve was met with an empty room no matter where he went, and just as he started panicking about possibly having missed something when he’d been absorbed in his drawing he all but crashed into Tony as they both came rushing in opposite directions.

“Steve!” Tony exclaimed, grabbing onto his shoulders for a brief moment to steady himself. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

Steve tried to ignore the way his skin longed for his touch once Tony let his hands drop. “I’ve been looking for- well,  _anyone_. Where is everyone?”

Tony hummed. “I think Nat is sparring with Sam. I’m guessing Barton is in the vents. Bruce is probably in his room meditating or whatever he does. I really cannot keep up with if Thor is on Earth or not anymore.”

So, not as empty as Steve had thought.

“I just couldn’t find anyone despite where I went,” Steve explained when Tony had finished.

“I guess everyone keeps to their own corners.”

“Guess so.” And that definitely made it harder for Steve to spend time with Tony casually. It was always easier if others were around to make it look like it didn’t mean anything, when in fact it meant everything.

“So,” Tony said, his expression unreadable. “Whatchu doing? Got lonely in there?”

“Figured I could stretch my legs a bit. You?”

“Same.”

“Any progress in whatever you’re doing down there?”

“Started a new project. Not sure what’s happening yet.”

“What about the-”

“Finished it last night.”

“Oh. You work fast.”

Tony’s lips quirked upwards, and Steve found the fact that he could tell his friend was secretly pleased at the compliment more exciting than he would let on. “Just trying my best, Cap.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing you’re taking a break then. Don’t want you to overwork yourself.”

“Says the guy who almost left the gym in pieces this morning.”

“That,” Steve said, pointing at him. “Only happens in the mornings. I don’t stay there all day.”

“Uh huh. So you’re not the one who’s been in there almost every single night this week then?”

That shut Steve right up, and he was sure the way he was gaping was very attractive.

Tony frowned now, something akin to concern finding his face. “If you’re… well, not okay, which, I mean, of course you’re not okay, then- just know you can-”

“Thank you,” Steve said quickly. “I- thank you.”

Tony shot him a quick smile, so brief it was almost non existent. “There’s no need to thank me.”

“I know.”

Okay, so Steve had no idea how things had gone from that to  _this_ , but he would be naive to think no one had noticed the ways he tried to cope. He’d just never thought anyone would bring it up, but then again, Tony had a knack for doing the unexpected.

Tony let out a laugh, though it lacked the joy Steve loved finding in it. “I think I just ruined our casual talk.”

Steve couldn’t help but smile. “No, no, you’re good. Casual might not be our style.”

“Maybe not. We’ve definitely always had this…  _tension_.”

“Oh?”

Tony suddenly looked nervous, as if he regretted his word choice. “I mean, you can’t say our relationship has always been easy.”

“Do you think it’s easier now?”

“Yes. And no.”

“No?”

And then Tony was right there, his body so close they were  _almost_ touching.  _Almost_ sharing too much of each other’s space.  _Almost_ breathing the same air and coexisting in a way Steve had been desperate for. That ‘almost’ killed him.

But he didn’t back away.

Tony tilted his head, though his eyes never once left Steve’s. “No because. Well. I never know what to do around you. You’re distracting.”

“In a good way?”

“In the best way.”

What.

Fuck.

_How_.

Okay, breathe, Rogers, breathe.

“You’re pretty distracting yourself,” he replied, his mouth dry. Head light.

“Oh?” Tony’s breath was definitely hitting Steve’s face now. “In the best way?”

Steve’s voice was hoarse when he whispered, “Kiss me.”

And Tony did. Met his mouth halfway and let his surprisingly soft lips capture Steve’s. His goatee tickled Steve’s face, but he didn’t mind. The world could end right there and he wouldn’t mind. All that mattered was Tony’s lips, the way his hands cupped Steve’s face, and their chests colliding and becoming one.

This was worth all the waiting.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://thesoundofnat.tumblr.com/)


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